16 July 2010

Hearty beef soup

Hot soup is a truly wonderful thing to have on a cold winter afternoon (or, in the case of the Philippines' rainy season, a stormy day!) It's a soothing respite from the weather, and soup made "from scratch" (short of making the noodles from flour) makes it all the more special.

This beef soup has the goodness of... um... beef, and ginger gives it that extra warmth. This takes more than an hour to make, however, so I reserve this special brew for weekends.

Fill a pot with a litre of water. Put in the beef, ginger, onion, along with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. When it starts to boil, reduce heat and scoop out the muck that has risen to the surface. Then set the heat to as low as possible with the cover slightly ajar, and let the it simmer merrily for an hour, or until beef is tender. After an hour, this will also be the best time to have a taste of the soup (be careful, of course, as it's hot) and adjust taste accordingly with salt and some more pepper if desired.